BASEBALL

Three baseball superstars have transformed the baseball world with their astounding contracts. In just over a month, these players as a trio have amassed $1 billion dollars in commitments. It all started with Manny Machado who agreed to a 10-year $300 million agreement with the San Diego Padres. Not long after, Bryce Harper signed a 13-year $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Not to be outdone, this week, Mike Trout signed an extension with the Los Angeles Angels creating a 12-year $426.5 million deal.

FOOTBALL

Clay Matthews, the accomplished Green Bay Packers linebacker, agreed to a 2-year contract with the Los Angeles Rams. Matthews grew up in LA and walked on at USC, becoming a standout player. In the 2009 draft, Matthews was selected in the first round (26th pick) by Green Bay where he excelled and made the Pro Bowl six times. Matthews, a self-proclaimed rom-com fan, had a memorable scene with some of his Packer buddies in Pitch Perfect 2. Check it out!

CHESS

Tanitoluwa Adewumi (goes by Tani), an 8-year-old Nigerian refugee who lived in a homeless shelter, won the New York State chess championship in his age group. The New York Times reported Tani and his family left Nigeria in 2017 fearing attacks on Christians and moved to New York where he learned to play chess in school. Tani’s coach at PS 116 in Manhattan, Russell Makofsky, said, “It’s unheard of for any kid, let alone one in a homeless shelter.” Tani stated he wants to be the youngest grandmaster. Makofsky created a GoFundMe page for Tani and his family after the tournament, and with the success of the crowdfunding, Tani and his family were able to move into an apartment.